A Quiet Day in the African Bush

We were asked what we wanted to do first, and both opted for a quieter day!!

Each morning started with Cowboy coffee around the fire pit, with lots of breakfast options. Although we both wanted a full breakfast, we were good and just had toast!!

After lunch, we went out for a drive, with me enjoying riding on the back of the truck…..

….camera at the ready!!

And I wasn’t disappointed….

Our first sighting were Sable….

They are so stately!!

These vultures aren’t as pretty, but are certainly interesting…..

It was also a thrill to see a Saddle-Billed Stork…..

If you remember, “Sadie” was inspired by a stork photo from a previous trip….

On previous trips, I have seen lots of animals from the air, including a herd of Zebra. We were thrilled to see this herd…..

….and this one a little closer…..

Sadly, this one had a poacher’s snare hooked around his leg. Unless it is removed soon, he will probably not survive!!

Warthogs are ubiquitous here……

We stopped at the third C-11 camp…. Bombala.

As we walked up the path, Ben stopped us and pointed to a print in the dirt….

….telling us that it was a lion track.

Next, he pointed to another, stating that it was a lion cub….

Then he found a hyena print….

…..followed by a Baboon paw print…..

I am amazed at how the guides see all of these!

Dinner that night started out with this luscious peach appetizer…..

….and ended with this decadent desert….

All in all a VERY GOOD day!!

Michael and I love to travel and see new parts of the world and then I love to take those memories and turn them into quilts!!! I hope that you enjoy traveling along with us!!

Be sure to subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss a single trip!!

The Grand Entrance….

We have visited Coutada 11 in Mozambique many times, so it is very much like going home, but the helicopter flight from the airport to the camp never gets old….

Once the music had come to a close, we were escorted to our camp. Previously, we had been in Mugari camp, which consists of 12 large tents (think glamping). This time we were hosted in Ngazi Camp

The first order of business was something cool to drink and a fresh towel to clean our windblown faces…..

This camp consisted of 3 Rondavels, a traditional circular Africa structure. And, somehow, I never got a photo of them!!

But the inside was wonderful…..

Lots of room, and the traditional towel elephant….

Before long, we were unpacked and enjoying some relaxation at the Firepit…

It doesn’t get much better than this!!

Come back tomorrow, and we will start the adventures!!

Michael and I love to travel and see new parts of the world and then I love to take those memories and turn them into quilts!!! I hope that you enjoy traveling along with us!!

Be sure to subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss a single trip!!

Travels in Stormberg

Our next destination was the Stormberg Mountains area of the Eastern Cape of South Africa.

We have visited this property before and felt right at home when we drove through the gate….

That evening, we spent some time around a local pond…..

….waiting for ducks to come in at sunset……

The sunset that night was gorgeous…..

When we returned to the lodge, it had been invaded by a large group of gentlemen visiting from England……

When someone mentioned that it was my birthday, I was serenaded by the entire group……such fun!!

The next morning, I shared the wood heater with these two sweet friends…..

After a wonderful breakfast, we headed out into the hilly areas……

…walking about 5 miles up and down, and up and down, and up and down!!! It was tiring, but the views were outstanding.

We then moved to a swampy area, donning gum boots as we waded through ankle-deep water….

My left boot had a small rock in it….

….and I spent most of the time guessing which part of my foot would be bruised by this tiny object on the next step!!

Unfortunately, I lost my balance and fell slowly into the water, landing on my side. Fortunately, I had just handed off the camera equipment, so my pants (and my ego) were the only casualties…..

Even though the time was short, we loved our return visit to Stormberg!!

Next week, I will share about our times in the deep bush of Mozambique!!

Michael and I love to travel and see new parts of the world and then I love to take those memories and turn them into quilts!!! I hope that you enjoy traveling along with us!!

Be sure to subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss a single trip!!

The Great Karoo!!

As many of you know, we recently returned from a 2-1/2 week trip to Africa. I look forward to telling you about it over the next few weeks.

After a 16-hour flight from Atlanta and an overnight in Johannesburg, we boarded another plane to East London (yes, that is in South Africa). We were picked up by our guide, Kyle, and driven 5 hours to his property in The Great Karoo.

The Karoo is classified as “semi-arid” with immense open plains and breathtaking mountain vistas…..

The succulent in the foreground is called “Bitter Aloe”. I love the flower stalks…..

Apparently, the animals that eat the leaves are not bothered by ticks…..interesting!!

Speaking of animals, they were plentiful….

Steenbok

Gotta love his big ears!!

Female Nyala

The Nyala females and young males are redish in color, but the old bulls are a dark grey….

Male Nyala

I find it interesting when coats change color that much!!

I love the curve in an adult Sable’s horns…..

It is always fun to run across a herd of Springbok…..

The markings on their faces are so distinctive!!

The one VERY unusual animal we found was a Mountain Tortoise….

Kyle said that this is the largest one he has ever seen.

As you can see in this photo, there were not many trees, but some of the Acacias were positively lethal…

We enjoyed two days with Kyle in this area, spending time in their brand-new guest house and appreciating the amazing hospitality of Linda and Geoff (Kyle’s in-laws), including a nice surprise in our bed each night….

We knew that we needed to move on, but were sad to leave this gorgeous area…..

Tomorrow, we move on to the Stormberg area!!

Michael and I love to travel and see new parts of the world and then I love to take those memories and turn them into quilts!!! I hope that you enjoy traveling along with us!!

Be sure to subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss a single trip!!

Taking to the skies again….

Tomorrow, Michael and I head out for our FAVORITE thing….. a LONG airline flight to Africa.

Yes, we are crazy, but we both love long flights. For me, it is the one time in my life where I can’t do anything but sit!!

I haven’t talked much about my trip to the AQS Show in Paducah, so I thought Iwould take this time to walk the aisles with you and share some of my favorite quilts.

Over the next few weeks, you’ll see quilts that inspired me, surprised me, and made me stop for a closer look…

If you’ve been to Paducah, I hope these posts bring back good memories. If you haven’t, consider it a virtual tour of some amazing quilt artistry.

And who knows? Maybe Africa will inspire a future quilt or two as well. 🦁🧵

Michael and I love to travel and see new parts of the world and then I love to take those memories and turn them into quilts!!! I hope that you enjoy traveling along with us!!

Be sure to subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss a single trip!!